Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Murder Defendant Moves to Suppress Evidence of Text Messages on Cellphone
In the case of People v. Price, the defendant, Price, was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury of his peers. As a result, he was sentenced to a 60-year prison term. He later appealed the conviction on the grounds that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. On July 22, 2015, the defendant was… Read More »
Defendant Appeals Convictions of DUI Causing Death on Ground of One-Act, One-Crime
In the case of People v. Rynders, the defendant was charged with two counts of DUI causing death. He entered a negotiated plea of guilty and was sentenced to 10 years for each charge to be served consecutively. He appealed his sentence. In this case, the appeals court found that the defendant waived his… Read More »
Court Denies Pretrial Release Under SAFE-T Act for Defendant Accused of Firearms Offense
In People v. Forthenberry, the defendant was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm (a class 1 felony), two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (a class 3 felony), two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (a class 3 felony), and one count of possession of a weapon… Read More »
Defendant Sentenced to 120 Years for Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child
In People v. Anderson, the defendant was charged with four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and subsequently sentenced to 120 years in state prison. The defendant appealed the sentence and petitioned the court for relief from judgment. The appeals court denied his petition. The case’s history In 2010, the defendant… Read More »
Defendant Sentenced to 20 Years for Aggravated Battery of a Child
In the case of People v. Steele, the defendant, Steele, was convicted of aggravated battery of a child, a Class X felony in Illinois. As a result of the conviction, the defendant was sentenced to 20 years in state prison, to be served at 85% with three years of mandatory supervised release. The defendant… Read More »
State Must Argue Why Less Restrictive Conditions Do Not Mitigate Threat Posed by a Defendant Under the SAFE-T Act
Under the SAFE-T Act, which eliminates cash bail, the state has the burden of proving that the defendant is a threat to public safety in order to hold the defendant during and before a trial. There are several factors that the state must weigh when deciding whether or not a defendant can be held… Read More »
Appeals Court Grants State’s Petition to Hold Defendant in Jail Before Trial
In a recent case that went before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the circuit court granted defendant Demontez L. Spruill’s pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act. The SAFE-T Act is the new Illinois rule that did away with cash bail. Today, the court makes a decision based on several factors as to whether… Read More »
Defendant Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor
In the case of People v. Fenton, the defendant, William Fenton, was charged with three counts for the sexual abuse of a minor. According to the indictment, the state alleged that the defendant touched his stepdaughter’s sexual organs on three occasions and charged him individually for each offense. During the case, the defendant waived… Read More »
Defendant’s Petition for Nunc Pro Tunc is Denied
In People v. Bolton, the defendant pleaded guilty to armed robbery with a firearm and was sentenced to 21 years for armed robbery and 12 years for possession of a weapon. The sentences were to run concurrently meaning he would only have to serve out the longer of the two sentences. The court also… Read More »
Defendant Appeals Post-Conviction Relief Over Sex Crimes Committed Against Step Daughters
Following a 2014 trial, defendant Timothy Davis was convicted on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against his two stepdaughters and one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. The trial court sentenced him to concurrent 5-year prison sentences on the charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and 12 years on… Read More »